The new service reality
Our family discovered that our favorite Boston Pizza, on King George Highway in Surrey BC, is accepting reservations for dine-in service. I attempted to reserve on-line and found there was no availability for 2 hours from the time slot I chose.
Scratch that great idea I thought.
Then, I decided to call the restaurant itself and was told come-on in, no waiting.
Excited about being able to eat in an actual restaurant, we hurried over.
Not all tables are available for seating with BP exercising proper social or physical distancing. The table we were seated at sported a tent card telling us the table was properly sanitized.
And the food was great. We are regular patrons of this Boston Pizza restaurant and were happy that the usual quality was there.
The service is vastly different. Our server, in face mask, was exceptionally good, displaying enthusiasm and professionalism.
If you are familiar with BP you may recall their massive menu, presumably designed to cater to everyone’s taste in one way or another. I always wondered how they could make money, having to stock all the different foods required to service all the items on the meu, but hey, BP is successful to the extreme.
Anyway, the new meus are an 8 ½ X 11 sheet of paper, black print only, no graphics and limited items. A one-use item to be discarded immediately after use.
My favourite dish was absent from the new menu and when I commented on that, our server told me it is still available, just not on the printed menu.
We ordered an appetizer, my favourite pasta dish, another pasta entree, and a pizza. Service was very quick – there was only one other table at the time, and the food was good.
Again, service was quite different from what we are used to,
Our server delivered each dish, only to the edge of the table. No reaching over to deliver each dish to the diner, we had to do that ourselves. No big deal to be honest.
The BP condiments have changed a well. Parmesan Cheese and Chili Peppers that use to come in shakers are now provided in small containers with tin foil lids – like the dips you get at some takeout pizza joints.
When we asked for salt and pepper we were given 2 plastic ramekin like plastic containers with loose salt in one and chili peppers in the other, Felt like Gordon Ramsey there for a minute, using thumb and forefinger to pinch the salts and pepper, holding the hand high enough to effectively spice the entire plate.
It was fun to get out and a little weird to experience the new service reality, but we will be going back again, soon.
So, our meal ends, and our server asks if I want the bill? I always say something smart ass like, “No, I don’t wat the bill” and I did exactly that. The server chuckled and we all had a little laugh and off she went to get the bill.
In the meantime, we were provided with containers (the modern doggy bag) that we had to pack up ourselves, which we did without hardly spilling anything at all on the table. Then we packed all the containers into the ample shopping bag they provided.
Then, we left.
Out the front door we went and as we approached our vehicle, I suddenly stopped and say to my wife, “OMG, I think I forgot to pay.”
And as I turned to return to the restaurant, I see the hostess heading out the door in my direction, she spotted me turning around and heading back and said something like, “OH, your coming back in”
I went to our table, and our server, who had been so pleasant and professional was the waiting for me. I told her, I was sorry, in my excitement and happiness of being able to dine out in an actual restaurant in such a long time, that I just forgot to pay.
She told me she had returned to the table with the bill and we were gone, and there wasn’t any money on the table and while she was still pleasant, I think I did detect a little “Uh Huh” moment.
Really, I just forgot!
#BostonPizzaKingGeorgeHwy, @mcleansblog.com
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